Color Struck received the Flamingnet Top Choice Award - July 28, 2011. Click HERE to read the 10 out of 10 review!

Color Struck made the 20 Must Read Books for Young Readers List in the May/June 2011 issue of Conversations Magazine.

Color Struck was chosen to be added to North Pitt High School's class set of books (April 2011). Click Here to see what the students and teachers are saying.

Color Struck was one of the March 2011 book selections for the National Black Home Educators Book Club. Click Herefor details.

Color Struck made the TOP 100 BOOKS OF 2010 List in Conversations Magazine. Click Herefor details.

Color Struck made BOOK NEWS in the Daily Reflector. Read the article by clicking Here

Written Reviews

Color Struck is the story of Bell, a young African-American
woman who runs off to marry Buck Steele in secret because
their fathers do not get along. Due to lack of money, the
young couple has to live with Silas and Emma Steele, Buck's
parents, who are less than thrilled to have Bell in the
family. Living with Silas and Emma is hard enough for Bell,
but soon she realizes that something about her stirs up a
Steele family secret. The book is narrated by Bell herself as
she uses her past to teach her granddaughters the lessons she
learned because "A deathbed shouldn't be the peacemaker in
this family."

I loved "Color Struck." Bell and her
granddaughters are lovable and believable, showing realistic
emotion and making hard decisions. The other characters,
including Buck, Silas, and Emma, were well thought out and
described. While their actions were sometimes horrible, they
always fit with their personalities perfectly. The storyline
itself was almost addicting, and I couldn't wait to find out
what horrible thing Emma would do to Bell next. The very best
thing about "Color Struck" was the lesson of love and
acceptance, a theme that came out in a wonderful resolution
that tied up all of my questions and left me feeling full. I
would recommend this book to anyone who likes family secrets,
strong young women, and realistic fiction.

-Vbat, Flamingnet Teen Reviewer

Like family reunions, storytelling answers many questions. When
children have a storyteller in the family, it helps them to understand
their importance, similarities and differences between their siblings
and other family members. When a family member tells a story of how
their parents met and where they came from, it gives the child more
knowledge of who they are and where they come from. Grandma Bell leaves
fingerprints for her three granddaughters after she notices some
tension between them, and she asks "What ails you?"

Pat proceeds to tell Grandma that since her cousin Cherie started
attending honorclasses and hanging out with her "light-skinned
friends," she has been acting uppity.She also mentions how Cherie
disowned her and Renee and even made Renee cry.After confirming with
Renee that what Pat was saying was the truth, grandmacomes to two
conclusions; 1) Renee has a color problem and 2) its about time the
family secret is told. It is a secret that she kept while her husband Buck was alive out of respect for him. From this point on in the story,
we are privileged to partake on a journey which begins in 1947, a
journey of family, in-laws and secrets surrounding light-skinned and
dark-skinned folks.

Color Struck takes the reader to Greenville, North Carolina to a
house that William "Buck" Steele built with hands of love and filled it
with even more love and family. Grandma Bell was Buck's baby doll, and
his love for her was long, which is more than we can say about his
mother or father Emma and Silas Steele. They were both bitter and just
plain ole mean. They treated Bell less than human for years because of
the color of her skin. By the grace of God, He kept her and her
obedience granted her favor.

I wish I could've read Color Struck by a fireplace because you
escape right into thebook when "listening" to Grandma Bell tell her
story. This was one of the most emotionally-charged books I've read.
Page 59 of the book starts the chapter with a reflection quote: "A
family is where you're supposed to be nourished and grow, isn't it? How
did Grandma become the beautiful person she was with such strong roots?
Especially with little sunshine and all rain." How Bell lived with her
abuse is discussed in the book, and Grandma Bell tells each of her
granddaughters so that they don't repeat this color cycle.

We have all made decisions in life based on what we see moreso than
what we might really know. It's hard to admit sometimes, but we are
quick to judge things by appearance. In Pamela and Joel Tuck's COLOR
STRUCK we see the effects of judging on the outward appearance moreso
than who a person is.

The characters bring out the best and worst of all of us,
showcasing how even todaywe praise and criticize based on the shape
and size of things and people around us.

The book should spark a conversation that still needs to be addressed today, and Ithink if given a chance, it can do just that.

Definitely an excellent read.-Cyrus Webb, Conversations Magazine

Grandma Bell refuses to allow her granddaughters to distance themselves
based onprejudice. Renee Steele is caught in the middle of her two
cousins, Cherie and Pat'sgrowing battle. Cherie has been ignoring her
cousins at school and hanging with onlylight-skinned girls, thinking
that because Pat and Renee are darker that they would be nothing and go nowhere in life. Grandma Bell decides to take the girls down memory
lane by telling them of their family history. She begins with the story
of how she met and married Pa Pa Steele, William "Buck" Steele. Buck
courted Bell and convinced her to marry him. After they elope, Bell
finds out that Buck has no money and they have to live with his
parents. The Steeles wanted their son to marry well. And by that they
meant marry a nice light-skinned woman. When Buck brings Bell home and
she is just as dark as Father Steele, the beginning of her nightmare
begins. Secrets are revealed and past hurts are healed in COLOR STRUCK.

The Tucks have brought a story of healing and forgiving. I
recommend this book for young adults. They will get to learn a little
of how African Americans struggled withintheir own community. And see
how far we have come and hopefully not repeat the same mistakes.
-Donnica Copeland, APOOO BookClub

I could not put this book down. Once I started, I had to finish it...to
see what happened in the end. Would the 'color issue' continue to hurt
and distroy this family? Would the cycle continue or would it end? This
topic of 'color' exists in many AfricanAmerican and Hispanic cultures
today. I feel this book will touch your heart and cause you to look
deeper than the skin you see. It takes you deep into the soul and heart
of a strong matriarch who (by the life she lived) refused to let the
'color issue'tear her family apart.
What is on the outside does not matter.....it is only what is
inside of a person that matters. I really enjoyed this book. Great job
on dealing with an issue that still exists today! -Roslyn

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. When I read the first
chapter from the authors' website, I knew I had to buy thebook. The
beginning was so captivating that it left one's curiosity wondering
what would happen next. The authors did not disappoint, at least not
for me. I look forward for the next piece of work from the writers.-Chellie

I loved it, read the book in 4 days. Once I started, I couldn't put it
down. The way the author writes, you feel like you are therewith the
family. It is a wonderful book.-Jeanine Albiges

I am an almost 11 years old boy and I usually do not like books that
are written with 1940's settings, but Color Struck is the best Fiction
book that I have read which took place in the 1940's. I did not get
bored with the book. My favorite character was Grandma Bell. This book
has a great ending. My mom and I read the book together and we both
enjoyed the bookand the discussions we had throughout reading it.

I would definitely recommend this book to some of my friends.
-Marc

Once I started reading this book I knew it would be difficult to put it
down. It's very touching and has a great moral. Excellent story! I
highly recommend this book.
-Damaris Outterbridge

Reading this book took me back into time.
The authors did a great job of describing the characters and making you
feel apart of the story. After reading the first chapter,I was hooked
and could not put the book down. There were moments where I laughed and
cried. The character Grandma Bell was a courageous woman and I will
value the lessons learned in this book always.-Kim

Color Struck is a wonderful book with a
powerful message. Prejudice of any kind is horrible but within a family
it can be devastating as in Color Struck. Not all familiesare so
fortunate to have a Grandma Bell (loved her). I highly recommend this
book to young adults and not so young adults. I'm looking forward to
more great, heartwarming stories from the Tucks. A sequel?-Ms. Higginbotham

Color Struck is one-of-a-kind, an African-American novel. It tells of
three teenage girls, who are cousins that had trouble getting along
after entering into their high school years. Renee Steele who tried to
be neutral, sometimes got her feelingshurt through this drastic
change Cheri had made. Bad remarks were made that caused grandma Bell
to focus her attention on these girls. This forced grandma Bell to
reveal the family's pass history. Grandma Bell's Story tells of how she got married, and all that it
took her through. It can bring tears to your eyes, and sometimes make
you laugh. She was a very strong woman, and also had the graceof God
to keep her going.

I love those stories that take you back into the past!

A good read for young teens and up!
-Joann

This book was very real. I could almost
put myself in the room with each scene. Once i started reading there was
noway possible I could put it down. Every middle school should assigned
this book as part of their curriculum. Life itself is broughtto life
off the pages of Color Struck as it teaches you that their is such a
thin line when it comes to prejudice. This book most definitely needs to
be on every readerlist and definitely apart of the Oprah book club by
all means.-Bettimay

Color Struck is a book after reading you will never want to forget. It
is a real way of life portrayed along with plenty of reading enjoyment.
I read this book twice and it unfolds itself as you continue to read.
Very well put together. I recommendpurchasing this book if you are
looking for reading pleasure on how life was spent in early years.
Looking forward to another exciting book from the authors.-Tamlin Outterbridge

Color Struck is an amazing book. I finished it in only a couple of days because once I picked it up I couldn't put it down.-Sarah Elphick